Twister Tournament
by DiehardJavaJunkie14
Summary: The next town fundraiser comes in the form of a Twister Tournament... and Lorelai's determined to take home the trophy.  But, there's only one thing standing in her way... Kirk Gleason.  Preseries chapter story.
1. Pink Victory Sharpie

"And we have a new idea for a town fundraiser!" Taylor announced excitedly.

Lorelai's attention was once again regained. "What did I miss?" she asked Rory as she stuffed a chili fry in her mouth.

"Nothing. Taylor was harassing Babette about the number of lawn gnomes she's allowed to have out front. But now we bring you back to your regularly scheduled program," Rory replied.

Taylor banged the gavel on the podium to regain the composure of those in attendance. "All right, calm down. The next contest is a Twister Tournament! We will set up as many Twister mats as we can fit in the gym, two to a mat, plus your assigned official spinner. We will do a single elimination tournament. We play by the official Twister rules, the last one standing wins. All proceeds benefit the repair of the bridge... and the winner gets… this." Taylor reached over to uncover a golden Twister spinner on a trophy.

"It's beautiful," Lorelai gasped.

"It's mine," Kirk grunted from behind Lorelai.

Lorelai turned around. "In your dreams, Gleason," she said, attempting to be intimidating.

Kirk rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's scary," he said sarcastically.

"Don't worry, Mom. That trophy will look good on the kitchen table," Rory insisted.

"The kitchen table?" Lorelai questioned. "We eat there."

Rory shook her head. "We eat at Luke's. The kitchen table is virtually obsolete."

Lorelai nodded in agreement. "Oh, I forgot, you are a smart high school almost freshman now," she said, wrapping her arm around her daughter.

"The tournament is Saturday, so anyone who is interested can sign up at Doose's after the meeting," Taylor elaborated.

Lorelai turned to Rory. "This is it."

Rory gave Lorelai a confused look. "What's what?"

"This is the one chance I have. I am going to beat Kirk. I am going to win this whole thing. I am going to be a living legend around here. They'll pass by and say 'Look, there's Lorelai Gilmore, Twister Champion!' and I will wave, smile, and sign autographs for adoring fans."

Rory folded her arms. "Just be sure to keep it real, okay? Remember the little people?"

"I will. And maybe they'll have me be an ambassador to… what board game company invented Twister?" Lorelai mused.

"That would be better described as consulting, and I have no idea. Why is Twister even called a board game? The only board is the spinner thingamajig," Rory pointed out.

Lorelai reached into her purse. "Add it to the list of life's imponderables," she said. "Ooh! Sharpie!" she said.

"What do you need that for?" Rory asked.

Lorelai grinned. "To write my name, in huge letters, at the top of that sign up sheet. Everyone's going to know how serious I am about this Twister thing."

"I don't think a Sharpie will make or break your dedication," Rory added.

Lorelai shrugged. "Ah, but it's a pink sharpie, and it makes a statement! It says, 'VICTORY' only with style and pizzazz!"

"Oh, well, that's a horse of a different color!" Rory teased.

The town meeting dragged for what seemed like hours. Lorelai jiggled her foot, uncrossed and recrossed her legs, and fidgeted incessantly until Taylor finally made a move for his gavel.

"This meeting is officially adjourned!" Taylor announced.

Lorelai darted up from her chair and across the square to be the first in line at Doose's. She checked her watch again and again until Taylor made his way to Doose's with the fresh sign-up sheet.

"Lorelai, your enthusiasm for this event is unparalleled!" Taylor said.

She shrugged as she reached for the sheet. "Ah, what can I say? I've got spirit!"

Taylor jerked the hand with the sheet away from Lorelai. "If only everyone in the town could be as enamored by this as you are… we'd be raising lots of money for the bridge!"

"Yes, yes, the bridge, right. Are you going to post that?" Lorelai asked, pointing to the sheet.

Taylor nodded. "Ah, I almost forgot Scotch tape. Be right back!" he said, slipping into the market.

Lorelai silently cursed Taylor as a line began to form behind her. She turned around to see Kirk getting as close to her as possible. "Kirk?" Lorelai asked. "Personal space, please. I am a boy in a bubble."

Kirk looked confused. "You look like a girl to me, but then again, you can never be too sure…"

"Kirk!" Lorelai said, exasperated and losing her patience. "I was making a reference."

"Oh," Kirk said, embarrassed.

When Taylor emerged from Doose's with the sign up sheet and the tape, Lorelai wasted no time, writing her name in all capital letters at the very top of the sheet. She stood, admired the sheet for a moment, and trudged her way out of line.

"You were in such a rush before, what made you go so slow all of a sudden?" Rory questioned.

Lorelai smiled. "I just wanted to see how the bracket was going to look with my name in the middle of it. Come on, let's go find Twister in the garage! I have to train!" Lorelai ran off to the Crap Shack, leaving Rory to stand and comprehend what was going on before she realized Lorelai was once again high speed.

This was going to be one crazy town event.


	2. Breakfast of Champions

It was finally Saturday morning. Lorelai shot out of bed to shower and get ready for the exciting day. After finally settling on a pair of non-baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt (for optimal comfort and mobility, she told herself), she sat on Rory's bed to wake her up.

"Hey, want to eat some Wheaties with Mommy this morning?" Lorelai asked.

Rory groaned and pulled the covers over her head. "You are a mean, cruel woman," Rory whined.

"You won't think of me that way when I have the trophy on the kitchen table, will you? Up, up, come on now," Lorelai insisted.

Rory sat up, attempting to focus. "You woke me up in the middle of a Christiane Amanpour dream!" she whined, forcing herself to get out of bed and follow Lorelai to the kitchen.

"Sorry, sweets, eat up. You need your energy," Lorelai said, pouring her daughter a bowl of cereal.

Rory rubbed her eyes. "You were serious about the Wheaties?" Rory asked in disbelief.

Lorelai shrugged. "Apparently all the champions use 'em. Either that's just common knowledge or it said so on the box, which I disposed of. I can't remember what it said. Anyway, let's eat."

Rory took one bite of the Wheaties and made a face. Lorelai stared at her from across the table, returning the look. "Plan B. I get dressed, you check in to the tournament, and we hit Luke's for a Breakfast of Champions," Rory proposed through a yawn.

"You got yourself a deal," Lorelai said, emptying the bowls into the disposal.

"I'll be out in a minute," Rory called sleepily.

When Rory was dressed and ready, the girls made their way to the tournament. As she entered the Stars Hollow High gymnasium, Lorelai confidently began to stretch, checking out her competition at the same time. Andrew, Bootsy, Gypsy, Morey, Babette, Kirk, Pete, and Al were all huddled around the sheet that contained the mat assignments.

"Go check which mat I'm on, sweets?" Lorelai asked Rory, who obliged immediately. As Rory checked the mat number, Lorelai spotted Sookie in the bleachers with a pink and glittery sign reading 'GO LORELAI!' Touched, Lorelai walked up to the bleachers, putting her leg next to Sookie and stretching it out. "Hey, Sook. Pretty sign!"

Sookie giggled. "You haven't seen my T-shirt yet!" she squealed. She took off her sweater to reveal a picture of Lorelai with a crown on it. The back read "Lorelai Gilmore: Twister Queen 1999".

Lorelai was stunned. She put her hands over her heart, conveying the feeling that she was touched as she sat down next to Sookie. "I have fans! This is so cool! Now I know how the Bangles feel when they're about to perform!"

"Ah, you should see Rory's. I think it says 'Twisted Sister' or something... so, you nervous?" Sookie asked.

Lorelai shook her head. "It's destiny. You can't be nervous about destiny!"

Rory emerged from the herd of contestants checking out their mat numbers. "You're at mat number 4, you're facing off against Andrew," she informed her mother as she rubbed her shoulders.

"Ah, yes, an even number. Even numbers are lucky. And Andrew is way too short for this game." Lorelai grinned.

Rory continued to massage her mother's shoulders. "You ready to fight, Rocky?"

Lorelai tilted her head back to get a look at her daughter. "Yo! Adrian!" she teased.

"She's ready," Rory insisted.

Sookie gasped. "No, no she's not. Has she had a Luke's coffee yet today?"

Rory's eyes grew wide. "Come on! Coffee, breakfast, NOW!" she said, grabbing Lorelai by the arm and pulling her out of the gymnasium.

Lorelai struggled to keep up. "Ro-ry…" Lorelai whined. "Can't you just get a 'to go' cup for me? I'm stretching!"

"This will test your endurance," Rory insisted.

Lorelai sighed as she tried to keep up with her daughter. They burst into the diner, making Luke jump.

"Luuuke!" Rory called. "Mom needs coffee. Stat."

Luke shook his head. "You make it sound like a health emergency, using the medical terminology like 'stat'."

"Yeah, well it's going to be a health emergency if you don't get her a to go cup, a Doughnut, and a giant thermos full of refills, pronto!" Rory insisted.

Lorelai grabbed her right arm and pulled it across her body, attempting to loosen up some more. "She wants this more than I do," she added.

Luke shook his head. "Impossible. You've been talking about this since you heard it existed. You were the first person on the sign up sheet. You wrote your name in bright pink Sharpie. You shanghaied me into being the spinner for you and Rory, and blackmailed me into playing against you for a practice run. Obviously you want this. You want it so bad, it's pathetic."

Lorelai jogged in place. "Pathetic? You want your baseball team to win, is that pathetic?"

"Not pathetic, completely and totally different from a stupid town function," Luke insisted, pouring Lorelai a cup of coffee.

"Thanks for the coffee, Luke," Lorelai said.

"You're welcome," Luke replied. "And good luck… you know… don't hurt yourself."

Lorelai giggled. "Go team!" she said, taking a sip of coffee and walking out the door. She turned behind her to see if Rory was following her. "Coming, sweets?" Lorelai asked.

Rory nodded. "You go ahead. I'm getting your refills and your doughnut," Rory insisted.

Lorelai went on her way, but Rory stayed behind for a moment. She took a seat at the stool, pulling out a poster from its rubber band. "Luke. Now I know you're usually not one to go to town stuff, and I know you hate the stupid contests, and festivals, and you don't cheer… but Mom really, really wants this. Maybe later, if there's no one at the diner, you could… you know, hang out in the area I have reserved for her fan club? You don't have to do anything special, I won't even make you wear a T-shirt. Just sit in the area, holding the sign. It'd mean a lot to her."

Luke shrugged. "I don't know, we'll see," he said, taking the poster and placing it behind the counter.

"Better than nothing. Thanks, Luke," Rory said, grabbing the coffee and the doughnuts.

Rory returned to find Lorelai taking off her shoes. "Ah, now they'll be dropping like flies," Rory teased, handing Lorelai her doughnut and her coffee.

Lorelai feigned offense. "And to think I was so nice to you all these years," she said, shaking her head.

Rory smiled. "How much longer until we start?"

Lorelai checked her watch. She only had to wait five more minutes. Five minutes to begin the journey to her destiny. Her moment of glory. She was about to become the champion of Stars Hollow's first annual Twister Tournament.

She was determined to be the winner of something. Anything, in fact. She had hoped for a win at the Dance Marathon that year, only to be stopped by a leg cramp. Kirk was once again the winner, surprise, surprise, and she was ready to find her outlet for success… and it was almost starting her in the face.

"Five minutes," Lorelai said confidently.

"Anyone who has not yet done their pre-Twister warm ups, please see Miss Patty in her studio for a five-minute stretch sequence, then report to your Twister mats immediately," Taylor ordered through his megaphone.

Lorelai took one look at Rory. "I am so going to take everyone down," she said, cackling.

Rory, however, was not as enthusiastic. "Uh, Mom? I hate to bring this up, but you really aren't flexible. Do we remember the yoga incident?"

"Rory! Way to shake Mommy's confidence in her big moment!" Lorelai protested.

"Had to point out the obvious," Rory defended. "You'll do fine. We know you'll beat Andrew. I think Morey's your biggest competition. Long legs, long arms…"

Lorelai held up her hand. "Sweetie, I know you're a big shot incoming Freshman at Stars Hollow High, but keep in mind that as observant and astute as you are, your loyalties are to the woman who gave you life."

"Sorry," Rory apologized. "Would you like a pep talk instead?"

Lorelai grinned as she interlocked her fingers and raised her arms above her head. "Sure!"

Rory paused for a moment. "Well, this is what you've been training for, Gilmore! This is it. See that golden Twister spinny wheel? That is the ultimate prize! Now you… put that left hand on blue, and that right foot on yellow, and you twist like a pretzel! Just do me one favor. Whatever you do… don't fall."

Lorelai took the pep talk in for a moment. "We need to attempt to watch more sports movies," she finally said.

"Twisters, take your places, two to a mat, please!" Taylor bellowed through the megaphone.

Rory smiled. "I would say break a leg, but you might take me literally," she teased.

"I disown you as of this moment. I'll feed you to the wolves when we get home," Lorelai said over her shoulder as she took her position at the end of the Twister mat.

When Lorelai saw Andrew staring at her from across the mat, she knew the first round victory was hers.


	3. Out of the Bat Cave

Lorelai breezed through the first round of the Twister Tournament easily, defeating Andrew in less than five minutes. As Andrew fell to the ground, Lorelai simply held her right foot on yellow and her left foot on blue, waiting for the official referee to ensure that she was still standing. When she was declared the winner of the match, she pumped her fist and jogged over to her fan area, giving everyone in it a high five.

"Nice work, Mom!" Rory said, standing up to give Lorelai a hug.

Lorelai smiled. "Why thank you. One down, four to go."

"Boy, Andrew stinks at Twister," Sookie interjected, watching Andrew mope as he waited to find his partner for the consolation game.

Lorelai grinned. "The trophy is mine, I tell you. Mine."

"Someone's possessive," Lane teased, directing the comment to Rory.

Rory shrugged. "It's her dream. It's her version of 'Battle of the Bands'."

Lane nodded. "Got it."

Lorelai walked up and down the bleachers, greeting everyone who showed up in support of her cause, and someone in the corner caught her eye. "Luke?" she asked, confused.

"Hey. Easy match, huh?" he asked, adjusting his baseball cap.

"You came down? Out of your Bat-cave?"

"Nope. This is the hologram. Pretty realistic, huh?" Luke muttered.

Lorelai grinned. "It means a lot to me. It really does. Thanks."

"Sure. The diner was slow anyway, and since you got through the last one so easily, I'm guessing you'd want me to stay here, for fear of screwing with your luck."

Lorelai shrugged. "If you have to go, go. It's okay."

"Well, to be honest, I'm curious to see how power mad Taylor gets," Luke replied.

"Mom! Kirk just beat Boosty!" Rory called.

Lorelai snapped her fingers in mock sadness. It wouldn't have been the same if Kirk had lost, anyway. She turned her attention back to Luke, who was holding a coffee refill. "You are my coffee god, you know that?"

"Just don't make me wear a wreath around my head, and I'll be okay with that title," Luke responded with a slight smile.

Lorelai sat down next to Luke. "So, really, let's be honest. Luke at a town event is a rare sight. What brings you here, really?"

Luke sighed. "Does it matter? I'm here, aren't I?"

Lorelai nodded. "You are here, but why?"

"Next match, Lorelai versus Gypsy!" Taylor called through his megaphone.

Lorelai shot up and jogged down to the mats on the floor. As she reached her left hand out to touch the nearest green circle, she contemplated why Luke showed up. Why was he there? He was a citizen, but not in the sense of the word that Taylor would consider appropriate. He was never fascinated by any town function until now.

She sensed that Rory had begged him to come. Putting it all together, her left foot touching the closest blue spot, she was glad Rory begged Luke to come. She was happy Luke decided to give in to Rory's puppy dog eyes. Giving herself an internal confident smile, she told herself that Rory learned from the best. As Lorelai and Gypsy battled it out for the next spot in the tournament, she couldn't help but realize that Luke was there.

It wasn't making her nervous, it was just making her work harder. He'd dragged himself out of his man cave for a reason, and she was going to give it all she had to make sure it was worth his while. Luke's emergence from the Bat-cave was going to be rewarded, and she was sure of it.

As Gypsy tumbled to the ground, cursing and screaming, Lorelai glanced up into the bleachers, looking for Luke.


	4. Similarities

Lorelai retreated back to her fan club, gloating about her second victory of the day. She waved to Luke, sitting in the back row of the bleachers against the wall. She made her way up to him, and took a seat to his right. "So is this where you sat for all the pep rallies in school?" she asked jokingly.

Luke shook his head. "Actually, I'd sit outside somewhere. Pep rallies weren't my thing."

"Lucas Danes, you SKIPPED the PEP RALLIES?" Lorelai asked, feigning offense.

Luke turned to her. "Well, I can leave anytime, you know," he smirked.

Lorelai tried to imagine Luke as a high school student, in the gymnasium she sat in at that moment. She shook her head, unable to wrap her mind around it. "Nah, don't leave. You won't get to see Kirk cry if you do," she teased back.

"Yeah, I guess I'll stay for that," Luke replied. "It could be pretty funny."

They sat in a moment of silence, trying to figure out what to say next. Lorelai watched as Kirk defeated his next opponent and turned to Luke. "So, why were you never into these town things?" she asked, curious to know a little more about Luke.

He sighed. "I'm not really sure. When I was a kid, I used to love them. But, I don't know, maybe I just… grew up, and the world where everything's great all the time seemed to vanish, and I just couldn't stomach the goofiness and joy, and all that other mush."

"When you say 'grew up', you don't really mean 'grew up'."

Luke nodded. "When my mom died, I had to 'grow up', you're right."

Lorelai put her head down, slightly embarrassed to ask him such a personal question, but she was also happy to learn something about him. She gently put her hand on his knee. "I'm really sorry, Luke, I wasn't expecting an answer like that."

He shrugged. "It's okay. I know you didn't do it on purpose. But the funny thing is… you kind of remind me of my mom. I've always wondered if other people noticed the similarities."

Lorelai was stunned. Luke's mother… the woman who was so highly esteemed in Luke's life and heart, was somewhat like her? That meant a lot to hear, but she was taken aback by it. She was honored, yet confused at the same time. "I remind you of your mother?" she confirmed.

"There are some similarities. When I was little, my mom was always the person who would make me laugh. I was a lot more laid back when she was around. I pretended to be embarrassed by her, but the truth was, I loved her and looked up to her. She was at every town event, front and center… she was funny, from what I can remember. One April Fool's Day she switched all my clothes and Liz's clothes and put them in the opposite rooms," Luke recalled.

Lorelai smiled. Luke opening up to her like this was a rarity. It almost never happened. And she was glad he decided to show up. She listened intently as Luke told more about his mom.

"And I know she was crafty like you. She was always the one sewing costumes for the town's stupid plays and festivals and that stuff. It's weird, you know? The similarities?" he said.

Lorelai nodded. "I just can't believe you'd put me in the same category as your mom. I know how much she meant to you. I can't measure up."

"You know you mean a lot to me, too, right?" he asked.

As Lorelai and Luke shared a 'moment', Taylor grabbed his megaphone. "Lorelai versus Al, everyone! Two minutes!"

"I should uh…" Lorelai gestured to the Twister mats.

Luke nodded. "I'll be here."

As Lorelai walked down the bleachers, Rory grabbed her arm. "What's with the googly eyes, Mrs. Potato Head?"

"Huh?" Lorelai asked, scrunching up her nose.

Rory rolled her eyes. "You and Luke? Come on, you know you noticed!"

Lorelai made her way toward the Twister mats. "It's okay, sweets, the men in the nice white shirts are going to take you soon."

Rory shook her head and rolled her eyes. She turned to the bleachers above her to see how Luke was reacting to the whole thing. He focused at the Twister mats, unaffected by Rory's stare. Rory knew something was going on. She kept her eyes on Luke as Luke's eyes remained fixed on Lorelai and her quest for victory. Rory had no idea how long the Luke and Lorelai phenomena caught her attention for, but the crowd was cheering and Lorelai pumped her fist as Rory looked back to the court.

There was definitely something going on between the two of them.


	5. Moment of Clarity

"All right, everyone, it's time for a lunch break, the final four will match up at two, so, participants, don't be late!" Taylor bellowed through his megaphone.

Lorelai sat down in the first row of bleachers, between Sookie and Rory. "Ah, lunchtime! Exactly what I need right now. I'm starved! Famished! About to shrivel!" she teased, putting her hand over her forehead as though she were in distress.

She turned around when she heard footsteps behind her. "I think with the amount of food you consume daily, it's impossible for you to shrivel," Luke muttered. "Do you need something to eat?"

Lorelai grinned and nodded. "Yes, yes I do. How about you feed me bon bons and massage my feet? Or, we could do this another way... you can feed me grapes... and..."

"If you want food, you're going to have to come to the diner, Lorelai. I'm not bringing you anything," Luke said, completely interrupting her idea.

Pouting, Lorelai put her head down a little. "But wouldn't you feel terrible if on my way to the diner, I trip and twist my ankle, thereby forcing me to forefit this tournament and everything I've worked for?"

"Frankly, no," Luke said.

Lorelai grunted and stood up, forgetting altogether about the dangers and agreeing simply because she was hungry. "All right, Debbie Downer, let's get to the diner, I'm parched. I'm actually not sure I can make it without fainting. Will there be a strong, handsome man to catch me?"

"Lassie's the best I can do," Luke replied, walking straight ahead and not bothering to turn around.

Grinning, Lorelai did a light jog to catch up with Luke. "What should an athlete eat before they win?" she pondered, only half expecting an answer. "I'm presuming that chocolate cake and coffee isn't such a fantastic idea."

Luke shook his head. "Pasta's a better choice. Carbs give you energy. Where's your posse?"

Lorelai turned around to find no one behind her. Sookie, Rory, Lane, and the rest of Stars Hollow had apparently turned to other eateries for the lunch break. She had a feeling this would happen. Lorelai giggled and turned to Luke. "Actually, I told the secret service to let me out on my own today. My secret army of ninjas will protect me!"

"You have a secret army of ninjas?" Luke asked, opening the door to the diner.

Lorelai grinned. "They're feisty, so don't get on my bad side."

"Yes, those ninjas sound incredibly frightening," Luke said, making his way into the kitchen.

She watched Luke as he began to boil the water for her pasta. She'd always liked hearing things that Luke had to say, but today's anecdotes seemed rather out of the ordinary. She'd heard nothing but good things about Luke's mom, and the fact that Luke held her in high esteem said something. Part of her wanted an explanation, but part of her wanted to let it go. It was a topic for Luke that rarely came up, so for fear of offending him, she usually didn't ask about his parents.

A little part of her felt guilty for walking out on him during the tournament, so she decided to clear the air a little. When Luke came out from the kitchen, she scooted closer to the counter, putting her chin in her hands. "Luke? When you said... that I reminded you of your mom... that meant a lot to me."

He started to wipe the counter, and Lorelai gently placed her hand on his. He stopped and looked at her, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"It meant a lot, because I know you were close with her. And I know so many people loved her. I just wanted to tell you that what you said meant something, you know?" she said, leaving her hand where it was.

Luke took a deep breath. "Well, I'm glad. I have to... go check on your pasta..."

Lorelai removed her hand. "You're right, you wouldn't want me to starve."

They just had another moment. It was one of those moments that they'd been having occasionally throughout their friendship... one of those moments that ended up leaving her unable to speak, flustered and giddy all at the same time. Putting it all together, she realized that she'd always had Luke in the back of her mind... as an option. If things didn't work out in the relationship department, Lorelai knew Luke would be there.

She quickly shook it off, though. It was selfish of her to keep doing this to Luke, and she knew he felt the... intensity between them. But would telling him be moving too fast? Her head was hurting and when Luke poured the steaming hot cup of coffee in front of her, she'd officially decided that it was from withdrawal. Or from confusion. Or a little of both.

"Thanks, Luke," she said, sipping the coffee instead.

Luke nodded. "Sure."

"So how's Kirk been doing?" Lorelai asked nonchalantly, trying to get a leg up on the competition.

He turned around and made his way into the kitchen. "Kirk? Ah, well, you know Kirk. He's just barely made it through the first few rounds. You'll beat him."

"Really?" Lorelai asked incredulously.

Luke emerged from the kitchen with a plate of spaghetti. "Yeah, you will. What happened to the confidence level all of a sudden?"

She smiled. "I just needed to hear it come from someone else."

"Sure you did, you'll fish for a compliment any time," Luke grunted.

Lorelai gasped, putting her hand to her heart. "That's not true! I love getting complimented as much as the next girl, but come on, I don't fish for compliments. The only fishing I do is for my keys in my purse!"

Luke knew he wasn't going to win. "You're right, Lorelai."

"Huh?"

"I said you're right."

Lorelai finished chewing. "Sorry, hang on, I didn't hear you."

"I'm not falling for that again, Lorelai," Luke insisted.

Lorelai snapped her fingers. "Darn, it worked last week."

As she ate her pasta, she completely forgot about the chaos of the tournament and shifted her focus. She tried as hard as she could to interpret Luke's words. This whole 'you-remind-me-of-my-mother' thing was getting to her... she couldn't figure out the hidden meaning. And everyone in Stars Hollow knew that Luke was one that was harder to interpret. He said things and was so cryptic about what he really meant.

On one hand, Lorelai focused on the comparison itself. It was a sweet and loving thing for him to say. But there had to be a hidden meaning. Was he making a move? Was he secretly professing his love for her? She'd have to mull it over during the layover between her matches, because it was nearly two.

"So, uh, I want to... thank you for coming today. It was really nice of you, and I appreciate your support. You don't have to come back if you don't want to," she said, opening her wallet.

Luke held out his hand as if to tell her to stop. "This one's on me. Consider it an early victory meal. And now I must admit, I'm intrigued, so I think I'll make another appearance at the tournament."

Lorelai's jaw dropped. "You're coming back with me?"

"Sure, why not, the diner's empty, and I've already been to the first part. That's like walking out in the middle of a movie," Luke offered, opening the door for Lorelai yet again.

It was in this moment of chivalry that Lorelai remembered something Luke had said before.

"I pretended to be embarrassed by her, but the truth was, I loved her and looked up to her... you know you mean a lot to me, too, right?"

She'd just had her moment of clarity.


	6. Sweet Victory

Lorelai walked back to the competition in a slight fog, wondering about what Luke said. She shook it off long enough to beat her next opponent and walked back to the bleachers, stretching her legs for the final match, which was determined to be against Kirk.

She knew nothing could get in the way of her winning this trophy. She could take Kirk in a second, it was simple. As long as she was overly confident and kept this whole Luke fiasco out of her head. She pulled Rory aside. "Stretch me out, will ya?" she asked, leading her to another corner of the gymnasium.

"Sure, Mom. What's going on?" Rory asked, knowing she wasn't going to be needed for her athletic training services.

Lorelai shrugged. "Uh, so this thing Luke said to me is eating away at my brain. You know in the movies how it floats around in the character's head and they can't get it out? That's me."

"Well, tell it to your adorable daughter," Rory suggested.

Sitting on the ground, Lorelai decided to tell her story. "He told me I remind him of his mom. And that he used to pretend to be embarrassed by her, but he really loved her."

"And that's a bad thing because…" Rory tried to figure out why Lorelai was freaking out over this.

"Well," Lorelai started, "It's not a bad thing, but I think Luke just professed his love for me."

Rory's eyes widened. "I think you may be right. Wow."

Lorelai gestured with her hands toward the Twister mat. "And now, I've got this competition to win, and I've got this in my head. What should I do?" she asked.

"Let's see. I'd…"

Taylor interrupted with a call from his megaphone. "Lorelai and Kirk, please make your way to the mats!"

Lorelai forced herself to get up and run to the mat. She told herself she'd forget all about the comment Luke made until she secured that trophy. Taking her place at the end of the mat, she waited for Kirk to take his spot across from her. As he came, she couldn't help but laugh at the really cheesy line on Kirk's shirt. The shirt, white with blue lettering, read, "Twist and Shout: Team Kirk."

"Nice shirt, Kirk," Lorelai said, shaking her head and giggling.

Kirk shrugged. "It's going to be a lot better next year. We'll have an updated version with the year and "champ" written on the back."

Lorelai nodded. If she could take the trash talk, she could dish it out, too. "Oh, really? You'll have the updated version with 'Team Lorelai' and the year on the back? How thoughtful."

"I don't know if you're aware," Kirk started. "But I win every town contest there is."

Lorelai laughed out loud, remembering something Luke had said in the diner the year before. "Yeah, the Yankees win all the time, too, but no one likes them, either."

Kirk's eyes widened. "You know about the Yankees?"

"Ha. I win round one of Lorelai vs. Kirk, trash talk extravaganza!" Lorelai said, stretching out her arms.

Rolling his eyes, Kirk ignored Lorelai's comment. He turned to Taylor, who was the official spinner. "What's my move, Taylor?"

Taylor stepped in between the two. "We have to have a coin flip, Kirk. You call it in the air."

"TAILS NEVER FAILS!" Kirk shouted quickly.

The coin dropped on the mat, tails facing upward. Kirk pumped his fist and gave Lorelai a mischievous smile. Lorelai shook her head, ignoring who went first. It didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was who stood the longest.

"All right, we're starting with you, Kirk," Taylor said, spinning the wheel. "Right foot red!"

Kirk stomped his right foot on red, making Lorelai burst out laughing. "You think this is funny? You won't be laughing when I have that trophy," he insisted.

"Lorelai, left foot blue," Taylor instructed.

Lorelai placed her left foot on the nearest blue circle, looking unfazed by Kirk's antics. She looked up into the crowd, where Sookie and Rory jumped and cheered. She rubbed her hands together, focusing on the task at hand. Kirk Gleason wasn't taking the trophy home this time.

"Right hand yellow, Kirk," Taylor said.

After about twenty minutes, Lorelai still stood upright, not getting a single spin with instructions of where to put her hands. She folded her arms against her chest, watching Kirk struggle in his pretzel-like stance. He'd already nearly fallen once, and a sneeze almost knocked him over another time, but for the most part, it looked like Kirk wasn't going to budge.

"Right hand yellow, Lorelai," Taylor said.

"Ha! You have a hand move!" Kirk shouted, peering at Lorelai.

Lorelai simply squatted down, placing her hand on the yellow circle. "Yes, I do, Kirk," she replied.

Kirk groaned. "Why's it SO easy for you? Taylor, I think you're cheating!"

Lorelai shook her head. "It's impossible to cheat at Twister if you're the spinner. Jeez, Kirk, just play, all right?"

"Easy for you to say, you're winning!" Kirk said, trying not to fall.

"Right hand green, Kirk," Taylor interrupted.

Kirk reached as far as he could for the green spot, but tumbled down on the way. He stayed there for a moment, staring at the ceiling in disbelief while Lorelai jumped up, cheering. She finally beat Kirk. As Kirk stood up, Lorelai held out her hand. "You were a tough match, Kirk, good job," she said.

Kirk turned up his nose at her show of sportsmanship. "Way to rub it in," he said, marching off the mat.

"Stars Hollow's first annual Twister Tournament champion is the lovely and talented Lorelai Gilmore!" Taylor announced, handing Lorelai the trophy.

Lorelai politely thanked Taylor and waved to the crowd, bringing the trophy over to Rory and Sookie to admire.

"Congratulations! We all knew you could do it!" Sookie said, hugging Lorelai.

Rory was not far behind. "Mom, this is awesome! Where are we going to put it?"

Lorelai hugged her daughter. "I don't know, sweets. We'll put it somewhere, that's for sure. Somewhere everyone can see."

"It's shiny," Sookie said, admiring the trophy.

Rory turned her attention to the trophy once again. "You should get it engraved."

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't want to taint it."

As the girls reveled in the glory of Lorelai's win, Luke walked up behind Lorelai.

"Hey, nice job out there," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks. You got out of here awfully quickly a minute ago, what's going on?"

"Well," Luke started, "I just wanted to make sure Kirk wasn't going to do something stupid in retaliation. I went out to make sure he was okay, and I talked to him for a minute. He's okay with it now, for the most part."

Lorelai grinned. "You're good," she said.

"What should we name him?" Rory asked Sookie, referring to the trophy.

Sookie thought for a moment. "How about Triton?"

Rory shrugged. "I'm going to bring it back home, find a spot for it, okay, Mom?"

Lorelai nodded. "Don't drop him, though!" she warned.

Rory and Sookie went off to the house while Lorelai and Luke stood in the gym. Lorelai sighed. "I'm so excited. This is pretty cool, I never thought I'd win. Okay, yeah, I knew, but I didn't know it felt this darn good!" she teased.

"You worked hard, you deserved it," Luke said.

Grinning, Lorelai folded her arms once again. "I think you should make us a victory dinner. It would be fun. Please?"

Luke sighed. "I guess I could do that," he consented.

Lorelai jumped up and down, clapping her hands in excitement. "Yay! What should I have you make? Hmmm. I'm thinking maybe this giant chocolate cake. Or, maybe breakfast for dinner."

As Lorelai rattled off numerous ideas for dinner, Luke brushed his hand against hers before taking it. She was silent for a minute, looking up at Luke. "Go on, get all those crazy ideas out before you get to the real ones," he insisted.

She smiled. "Or we could have you make us this giant steak dinner, with mashed potatoes."

"That's getting on the right track," Luke said, not letting go of her hand.

"So I was thinking about what you said to me earlier," Lorelai said.

Luke looked at her. "Hmm?"

"You only pretend to be embarrassed by me?"

Luke shrugged. "Okay, so you're not as embarrassing as I've played it off to be… but you're still crazy."

"Crazy? I can handle that," she said. "But you really do like me?"

"Nothing gets past the Twister Champion of Stars Hollow, does it?" Luke asked.

Lorelai shook her head. "Well, I've been thinking about it. And this makes two victories in one day, wow, I'm getting good!"

"Apparently so," Luke teased, pulling her closer as they walked back to the Crap Shack.

_The End_


End file.
